Lost Ships Gold, New Zealand. The General Grant

[jeff of pa]

Heppner gazette. (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.), 04 June 1903.




https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...=&proxValue=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=25



General Grant was a 1,005-ton three-masted barque built in Maine in the United States in 1864 and registered in Boston, Massachusetts.She was named after Ulysses S. Grant and owned by Messers Boyes, Richardson & Co. She had a timber hull with a length of 179.5 ft, beam of 34.5 ft and depth of 21.5 ft. While on her way from Melbourne to London, General Grant crashed into a cliff on the west coast of main island of the Auckland Islands of New Zealand.

She departed Melbourne on 4 May 1866 bound for London via Cape Horn, under the command of Captain William H. Loughlin. She was carrying 58 passengers and 25 crew, along with a cargo of wool, skins, 2,576 ounces of gold, and 9 tons of zinc spelter ballast. Included in the passenger list were a number of successful miners from the Australian gold fields.

From as soon as 1868, General Grant's cargo of gold attracted numerous recovery attempts, several of which proved deadly for the wreck seekers, but the exact location of the wreck has yet to be confirmed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Grant_(ship)

 

[sphillips]

Have to wonder why the ship was sailing so close to those rocks

 

[South Sea mariner]

Hola sphillips.

Its the southern ocean my friend. It eats ships. I have been sailing the southern ocean since 1988.

in answer to your question navigation back then in 1866 if you was out by 30-40 miles by dead reckoning you are doing good. Not easy taking a bearing at sea on a pitching and rolling ship.

Most mariners from Australian to England run sailed east with prevailing wind. the further south the stronger the winds. Most ships sailed the "roaring forties" there is no land so the wind whips around the southern sea at high speed from west to east. Old sailing ships too advantage of these high wind on the return leg to England sailing east from Australia south of NewZealand heading to cape horn in the 50's latitude. Some times they would stray a little too south into the Furious 50's in which they would accidentally encounter the Auckland islands. All good if you encounter those barren rocks by daylight but sailing into at night with the wind against you. You are doomed with a sailing ship.

For the ship the General grant sailed into a huge sea cave in the dark and was smashed to pieces.

There is an old saying amongst the old sailing ship shippers who have have Rounded Cape Horn and have sailed the southern polar oceans.

In Roaring 40's latitude you thank god you have survived.
In the Furious 50's latitude you pray to survive.
In the screaming 60's latitude there is no God.

In the Australian sheep and wheat run from Australia to England old clipper ships was still used from about the 1880's to early 1930. Because it was only place left for old sailing ships to still be profitable. I was terrible job being the crew of those ships. lost a man every voyage washed over board. sail sailed without trace.

Here is cape horn on a good day.



Mal